This invention relates generally to a sheathed heating element for an appliance, and more particularly, to a connector for coupling a sheathed heating element to a power harness.
Sheathed heating elements are commonly used as heating elements in electrical appliances, particularly electric ranges. In addition, sheathed heating elements also find application in such appliances as dishwashers and electric clothes dryers.
Sheathed heating elements typically include a tab welded to the sheathed heater for connecting the sheathed heater to a wiring harness. The wiring harness includes a female connector configured to mate with the tab to couple the sheathed heater to the wiring harness. The weld area between the tab and the sheathed heater has a small cross section and is an area of increased resistance to electrical current flow and also to conduction heat transfer. Consequently, the weld area may generally reduce the life of the sheathed heater-to-wiring harness couple. In addition, the tab is a high-volume component that increases the part count of the appliance containing the sheathed heater. With the use of the traditional tab connectors, the ability to control the surface area of the couple or to optimize the interference between the mating surfaces in the connection are substantially precluded.